ajconsiderthis ajconsiderthis. we will see you next time. good evening, everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. the big squooez - the heart and the plight of the middle class. the bigger push for better pay. meet the young man whose case may end up in the supreme court. deadly cargo stolen - radioactive material, risk of contamination and the threat of a dirty bomb. what you don't know about this toxic cocktail. coming to america - sort of. that's rob ford, toronto mayor,

addiction has landed him a job in the united states. [ ♪ music ] president obama had a lot to say about economic inequality. perhaps it was an attempt to divert attention from the rollout from his health care law. he struck a nerve when he talked about the middle class and how many americans are learning. we'll take a look at this with an american who knows what it's like to live that way. first, mike viqueira at the white house >> the facts are beyond dispute. the government sought to highlight the gap between the rich and poof. he was up to two themes. these are themes struck throughout the presidency, first and second term. he talked about the gap between rich and poor and talking about trying to raise the minimum wage. he got behind that, backing a height or legislation and

congress that's $0.10 an hour. many states are moving on their own. the president deniably is trying to shore up a political base after a rocky rollout of healthcare.gov. democrats are dispirited. this is the latest in a series of event where the president spoke to the base and what he said was music to the democratic base's years, talking about income despair itty and stronger union, tying the affordable care act into the theme. >> the idea that a child may never escape the poverty because they lack decent education or health care or a community that views her future as their own, it should offend all of us and compel us to action. we are a better country than this. let me repeat: the combined

trends of increased inequality and decreasing mobility pose a fundamental threat to the american dream, our way of life and what we stand for around the globe. >> there's a public polling unit and it was found that the president's approval rating among a core constituency that got him elected, that 19-24-year-old, a 41% approval rating. most concerning for the affordable care act is the poll asked young people will they enroll in the affordable care act. this group of young invincibles is key to have their involvement to make it work. 47% of the millennials 18-29 said they will not enrol.

57% it's approved. greater than the national average among the entire population. >> mike viqueira at the white house. to illustrate the gap the highest 1% saw income rise an average of 31%. for everybody else it was less than one half of a per cent. let's bring in paolo romanacci, a married father of two who created the blog middleclasshell.com. welcome, it's good to see you. >> thanks for having me. >> what does middle class hell mean to you - not the blog, the term? >> it means that we are stuck in a position where we cannot advance economically, socially - that this - that the deck is stacked against us and we have little chance of breaking out of the dilemma that we are in >> this has been coming on for a while. how many years has it gone on for you? >> i started out on a good

track. i graduated from college. i did okay. during the end of the bush presidency, when everything started to collapse, so did my situation, and it's been a struggle ever since >> how tough is it for your family? >> it's difficult. we work hard, we have to certainly watch every penny. we have to make choices. we have to play the process of elimination game when it comes to christmas time - it's like write out your list and we'll have a process of elimination and the gifts that are left are the ones you yet - that sort of thing. in the long run -- >> you smile when you say that, but it's serious stuff. it hurts. >> sure, it hurts. it's not the - it's not the american dream, i think that we were promised and taught in school. i think that's a myth and i think that reality hurts. >> so you looked at the graphic we showed about income disparity

and how the top 1% seem to be making a lot of money, and your wages are not going up. >> yes >> what needs to be done about that. is there something that could be done in your opinion? >> i'm not sure. if that situation - i call it the harlem gloeb trotters against the washington generals. they are spinning the basketball behind the back and we are trying to win the game and we have no shot. it's a serious situation. it's - the situation is rigged, essentially. >> you say you have no shot. the way you feel is no matter how hard you work, you are not going to be able to get ahead. is that the way you see it? >> no, there may be certain people who have - who are able to break through. i'm talking about as a whole, the lower middle class for sure. they'll have an incredibly difficult time getting ahead. >> do you think washington could help you? >> in its current - no, i don't

believe so. washington is controlled by the power and money interest. they are - they are getting what they want, not what we want. as long as they control the purse strings they control what is happening in this country >> it's not about parties for you? >> no, i voted for hope and change. i had a lot of guys from harvard and princeton setting policy, and i don't believe that change will come, no >> is this something - obviously you talk about it with your friends. >> yes. >> you have other friends in these sort of situations. what has been the response to your blog? >> my - middle class hell has gotten an incredible response from this country, europe, ireland - all over the world. they relate to - they relate to my - my situation is their situation. i put a comedic spin on it so to speak, but they do relate, and they - you know, i'm happy for

that. >> it's good to see you. thanks for sharing your story. maybe a few people will go to your blog. the struggling economy has some communities thinking of breaking away. a wealthy community in baton rouge is thinking of breaking away. it's been tried in new york, los angeles, indiana. >> jeffrey lee doesn't miss a moment with his grandchildren. although they are not in school he knows education is the key to life. >> i want them to go to school. >> it's a challenge in a city where 60% of public schoolchildren are not learning at grade level. >> it's one of the worst school systems in the state.

how many generations of children do you disserve before you say, "let's try something different." lionel rainey is pushing for a different plan for better schools. by breaking away from baton rouge, and starting a new city. the city of st george would encompass an unincorporated area home to a fifth of the residents, it would control and run schools with its own tax residence. >> it's not about starting a city, it's about education. >> it's about 100% total about education. we came into this saying we want to take accountability for the schools in our area >> critics say st george would take more than accountability. the break-up could cost the city at large $53 million - 20% of its budget and would segregate the city. baton rouge is majority black.

st george would be a majority white at a 3:1 ratio. >> now we would have white kids going to school over here on this end of the parish. white kids going to school on the ordinary end of the parish and in the middle the black kids. >> there's an income disparity. residents in baton rouge earn $58,000. residents in st george make 90,000. >> we have to go back to where we are segregating ourselves. i don't see it as a win. >> it's not a trend. both the white and black middle class have been fleeing baton rouge in search of new schools. those breaking away say it's not about race, but education. >> this has nothing to do with skin colour. if you have the means to leave baton rouge and the school system, you have left. >> for those that have not been

able to leave, it means division. >> it all will change. one side will be better than the other side. what will happen to the lower class. it'll move city and make it a better class. >> the break away continues to change momentum and could be voted on my voters. >> we are just getting the story in from mexico where there were scary moments at an n.b.a. game. mark is here with the details. >> that's right. everyone is trying to figure out what happened. the san antonio spurs and minnesota timberwolvek were scheduled to play. the game as postponed. before the game as scheduled to begin both were warming up on the court when the lights went out and smoke poured out of vents in the arena. it was evacuated because the thick smoke as you see from the

picture. players, coaches and the media left. the fans this not been allowed into the arena. according to the n.b.a. a generator malfunctioned outside causing the smoke. the game will be rescheduled for the target center in miles per hour. this was the first regular season game in mexico city since 1997. >> it was thick smoke. >> it was. the players said it all started happening and something like this never happens in the united states. it caught them offguard. officials took over. players left, along with the media and the game officials and the fans were never allowed in. >> we'll talk later. also in mexico another story. thieves unfolding with a truck containing radioactive material, the kind that raises fears of building a dirty bomb. the truck hold 40 grams of

cobalt 60, transferred from a hospital to a waste disposal area. that's when it was stolen. anyone that may have touched it could have died. finding the radioactive material is one thing. what is it made out of. why is it dangerous, how could it happen. here with fascinating details is jacob ward. who is cobalt 60? >> cobalt in its natural state is a lustrous grey metal used in metallic alloys, used in certain kind of point. if you hit it in its natural form, it turns into cobalt 60, which is used to sterilise medical equipment, certain kinds of food and used in radiation treatment. cancer patients undergoing

radiation people, hit with a little bit of cobalt on the tumours, that's how you fight cancer. the hospital that this load was coming from had been using it for a purpose. >> can anyone get it. how do you get it. >> it's a rare thing, requiring an intense process. it's not like you can make it at home. in fact, since september 11th in the united states. you have a to be fingerprinted to the stuff. >> could it be used as a weapon. >> it's not ex-close if, you couldn't use it to set off a nuclear explosion. if somebody stuck it into a back pack and blow it up. you'd have atomized cobalt 60 all over. that area would be uninhabitable for the best fart of five to 10 years.

what symptoms should mexican authorities be looking for in the suspects? >> these guys can't possibly have known what they have. anyone who knows anything about what the stuff would do to the body would never have opened it up. the second it sees daylight, the people around it would have felt nausea, vomiting, maybe a partial or total lose of consciousness. authorities should be looking for people complaining of gastrointestinal problems. itching or burning on the skin. unless the guys apply for medical attention, we are talking about serious medicine, blood transfusion, antibiotics, i think the authorities will find that the guys are dead or close to it. >> jacob ward, thank you. a prewinter blast is affecting 30 million in 2 million states. with the snow comes the cold. it feels like 7 below zero.

rain and ice will make roads slippery and dangerous. earlier the utah highway patrol reported 160 crashes in salt lake city. kevin corriveau has more. >> we are getting better news in terms of where the snow is going, it's diminishing in some places like colorado. you can see the events taking place earlier, beginning to become flurries, up to the north. the big problem overnight is going to be towards california. we don't see weather, but it's the cold air in the region. records will be broken on how cold it is. look at the warnings in effect. we are talking hard-freeze warnings as well as freeze warnings on the coast. this is a problem because california is an agricultural state. the crops are effected like strawberries, leafy vegetables.

citrus fruit have hardiness. we expect it to warm up tomorrow and another freeze coming in the next day. big, big problem. temperatures we are seeing san francisco 47. looking to the north, elcourt 12, los angeles right now is at about 39 degrees. also big ice coming tomorrow, starting tomorrow in texas. more on that. >> thank you very much. see you then. coming up - legal limbo. he passed the bar exam. should this undocumented immigrant be allowed to practice law. we talk to him live. plus, a man with alzheimer's and a stand your ground killing.

cz

imagine going to law school, taking the bar examine, passing with flying colours and being denied the ability to practice law. that happened to cesar vargas,

an honour studio in new york and interned with a state supreme court judge, but he can't practice law because he's an undocumented immigrant brought to the country illegally at the age of 5. cesar vargas is the executive director of the dream bar associate. he joins us to tell us his story. why can't you practice law? >> simply new york committee decided i had the character, an evaluation that every law student and graduate has. unfortunate for them, because of my immigration status they couldn't make a decision. for them it was completely new, this issue. they punt it to the highest court to really deal with the issue. for them my immigration status was something they couldn't sign off, despite the fact that they found my character, as they

said, was stellar. the novelty of the issue is complicating stuff >> it is complicating. you came in at five, brought in illegally, but you are undocumented but you are legal; correct. >> i came to the u.s. when i was five. my mother brought us here after my father passed away when i was four. a hard decision. she tried to do it the legal way. our immigration system is broken. for her the only objective was to provide myself and family a better life. i came to graduate from the new york city school public system and over 20 years i've been a new yorker, it's been my home. america is my home. recently the president announced in 2012 that he will no longer deport young children that came to the u.s. as children. he gave us work permits to allow us to get driver's licence >> that's the part that boggles

my mind. you have a work permit, but you are still not allowed to practice law. what you did to study was impressive as well, but you can't practice. so you're taking it to court. what do you expect the outcome to be? >> well, what we are expecting is for the courts - there's a law in new york that says no one should be discriminated or barred admission based on sex, alienates immigration status. that's the crux of the argument, ensuring that new york should not be like arizona, who passed anti-immigrant laws. the the new york state - it could have consequences to allow anyone who has satisfied all the requirements to practice law. >> let me go big picture. this is more than whether or not you can practice law. the whole discussion of immigration in this country

means something personal to you. do you want to talk about that? >> absolutely. pretty much despite the fact that i - that i was and am, new york city america is my home. i'm not requesting or demanding special equipment. i'm asking for the opportunity to be treated like my colleagues and have the opportunity to make my mother proud. now i'm an immigration advocate fighting because i thought that's what we are taught, to fight for the dreams because so many invested in my future and i'm willing to serve my community as a lawyer. it's something personal that makes me want to the fight harder to make my mum proud. >> clearly you are a hopeful guy. do you think congress will pass the immigration law soon? >> i'm in washington d.c. i've been speaking with political democrats, and the

political games are real. it's obstructing the issue. we have a hope that not in congress, but the american people that are hearing our stories, to say that we want to contribute to this country, so i have faith in the american people and in my community. this gives me optimism to know that something will happen. vice president joe biden's lengthyy meeting with china's leaders end without any resolution. the u.s. used the decision as iljit mate. the two world leaders discussed the controversy for about six hours. china's president reportedly is not backing down.

so mark morgan is here with sports. the nfl handed down a fine making an example of a coach. >> nfl commissioner would make a statement most thought. but he fined pittsburgh steelers head coach mike tomlin $100,000 for interfering with a kick-off return. this penalty may not stop there. the league says it will consider a forfeit tur of draft picks because mike tomlin's actions affected play. remember, mike tomlin took a step on the field and the nfl said he should have been flagged for unsports unman like conduct. the prosecutor looking into sexual all the allegations into jameis winston says the investigation is complete and findings will be announce. willie meggs said one thing his office will weigh as they decide whether to press charges is if

there's a reasonable chance for conviction. that is scheduled for tomorrow. jameis winston was named the a.c.c. player of the year. the king is staying on broadway, henrik lunqvist signed a 7-year, $59.5 extension to stay with the new york rangers. it made him the highest paid tender at $8.5 million a year. this is hits ninth year with the rapi rangers. >> thank you, next the dismrn material is found. is the risk over. plus, priceless, but to a point. detroit's artwork may soon be for sale.

welcome back to al jazeera america on this wednesday, december 4th, 2013. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. here are a look at the top stories. president obama calls the growing u.s. income gap a defining challenge of our time. in a speech about economic

inequality he said partisan gridlock was to blame. radioactive cobalt 60 stolen in mexico may have turned a thief into a time bomb. when someone found the material someone removed it from the container. whoever did could die within days. the great lakes in the grip of a powerful arctic cold front. heavy snow dropped, tens of thousands water power. conditions were blamed for hundreds of car crashes. tonight investigators are looking at a potentially deadly new case of stand your ground. it's from georgia where 72-year-old ron westbrook knocked on a door, a stranger's door at four in the morning. a man in the home shot and

killed him. ron westbrook had alzheimer's, and was apparently disoriented. authorities are deciding if charges should be filed against the shooter. joining us now is lance lorusso, a former attorney and law enforcement officer. thanks for joining us. explain georgia's stand your ground law. >> essentially it says when you are in a place where you have a lawful right to be and you are not committing an unlawful act, you have to obligation to retreat if faced with a threat. >> what has the shooter told investigators? >> i'm not sure. that's up to a lot of question. the sheriff's office is looking into the matter. he said that he heard noises in the house, someone trying to get in and went outside into the yard. he confronted the man who was, he thought, trying to get into

the house. that's all we know >> does it matter if he's in the house or out in the yard? >> to a certain extent. the stand your ground law says you have no obligation to retreat. it's universally the same throughout the united states. it does not bring the legality of whether or not the use of deadly force was appropriate. it's a separate analysis >> does it matter if the victim as alzheimer's. >> that will enter into it to the respect of how did the person react - not the home owner, but the gentleman lawfully at the house, confronting him asking what he was doing. that's something a grand jury will look at. >> when we talk about stand your ground laws, there are a lot of difference, but generally they are the same. in your opinion, as a lawyer and someone in georgia, is this - does this really the problem with the stand-your-ground, when

you have cases like this? >> no, this actually is not the issue that beam are caught up with in the stand your ground stat use. what people misconstrue is if a person has an obligation to retreat which you tell them in this situation the man could not leave his house to find out what was going on in the yard. that's all the stand your ground law does. there's a different analysis as to whether someone can use deadly force against a threat. whether the person being opposed was a threat to them or a third person or committing a forceable felony. the use of deadly force is a secondary analysis to stand your ground. that is did they lawfully have a presence there at the time. >> some people have a tough time understanding with self-defence why you need stand your ground. >> one of the reasons is in some states there was a situation

where we expected people to retreat. in your home you had no obligation to retreat. all the stand your ground law did was say if you were out in publishing, outside the four walls of your house, that you had the same rights to stand where you are, and not have an obligation to retreat if faced with a threat. >> how och often is there a claim for significant your ground. >> it's interesting. after the george zimmerman case there were people that did studies. there were questions about what is a stand your ground defense. in the george zimmerman case the stand your ground defense was not used. there was a preliminary hearing available if the defense was used to throw the charges out. and as you know, i am sure you followed it it was not used in that case. it's hard to put a finger on the statistics as to how much it was used as a defense. >> it will be interesting to see what prosecutors do in this

case. >> now to the release of the 911 calls from the sandy hook elementary school. we spent a lot of time discussing whether to play them. we decided not to play them. we feel there is new information from the recordings that you should know and randall pinkston has that. >> the phones in the newtown police emergency services were ringing off the hook. i heard seven calls that came in after the first shots were fired in sandy hook elementary school. at about 9:35 a flightened woman reached the dispatcher saying she was inside the school building and glimpsed someone running down the hallway with a gun: >> there was a phone call from a school teacher holed up in a classroom with her teachers. she reported hearing shots in the hallway. the dispatcher in a calm manner told her to:

one of the first calls also came from custodian rick thorne who told the dispatcher he heard the glass in front of the school building being shot out that the school was on lockdown, he couldn't see the students in the front of the building. the dispatcher asked if he could hear anything else: >> thorne called the dispatcher more than once, urging officers to respond. he was on the phone when law enforcement officers entered the call, 9 minutes after the first 911 call. the gunman 20-year-old adam lanza killed himself within minutes after the officers arrived - too late to save 20 children, six educators or lansa's mother whose body was found at her home. prosecutors didn't want the

tapes released. they were overruled. billions of cell phones around the world may be under surveillancy the n.s.a. they said the national security agency is tracking 5 billion cell phones every day. the paper cited documents from edward snowden. it means the spy agency could track the movement of almost any cell phone around the world. n.s.a. officials refused to comment, but said they don't collect data on sell phones in the united states. tonight a new meningitis outbreak at the university of california, santa barbara o initials are racing to stop the bacteria spreading. brian rooney has more. >> four students at this cancer developed a rare form of meningitis in three weeks. one in four who catch it dee. 20% suffer permanent damage.

>> when the outbreak started, when we had three cases two weeks ago, three cases in two weeks was a dangerous situation. >> a student, a freshman la cross player had such a serious case that both his feet had to be amputated. >> once it causes bloodpoichg, sepsis can be so overwelcoming, the body is tox. >>, and hand and feet are overwhelmed with infection andar amputated. >> students you warned to avoid close contact, sharing drinks, kissing. the party scene has been shut down. what the four cases have in common is the students went to a fraternity party or had room mates who did. >> it bums people out that they can't go to the party. >> my friends are bummed out. >> there's no treatment in the u.s. for the strain that hit the campus. princeton university in new

jersey, which had eight cases in nine months caused by a similar strain was given federal permission to import a european vaccine not approved in the u.s. santa barbara might need to do the same. >> for you santa barbara is handing out antibiotics to hundreds likely to be infected. >> more cases may be identified. students with flu-like symptoms have been tested, similar to what you would have with meningitis. we want to get back to the economy and what it means for college graduates burdened with student loans. they are $30,000 in the red. figures are growing, it's not the stats that tell the story, it's the people. juan carlos molina spoke to young americans who know what it means to be drowning in debt. >> 400,000 in debt. i don't know how i'll pay it off. >> philicia combest is a

dentist. it took a fortune to get there. knowing how much she owes is ticking a heavy toll. >> it's very overwhelming. i thought about doing - going into the military to try to take care of some of my loans for the repayment part. >> there is the debt and dealing with getting a job. >> on the streets of new york city, it didn't take long to find college students or graduates who fall into the category and find themselves buried in a mountain of accident. >> ebba zahmi is a senior in college, owning $20,000 in student loans. for her the future is full of uncertainty. >> it's stressful when you think about growing up, buying a house. you have to factor in the extra bill. it will always be there because the interest is high. >> ebba zahmi is working to pay off the loans while taking classes. >> it's a point where you don't

have time. you busy trying to pay a lone. it's stressful. >> some like xavier guerra get help from their parents. the pressure to pay up is constant. >> if you tackle them as they accumulate you don't rack up the center. you are still paying a significant amount of money. >> despite the statistics the report points out that having a college degree is still the best way to find a job. especially in this tight job market. . there's a part of the country known as the rust belt. when manufacturing jobs disappeared communities suffered there. in oklahoma flocks of homes in some counties were abandoned. new life is coming to some of those structures. >> father gregorie maturi is a crime-fighting priest on a mission. >> we are looking at six

blighted, boarded up, boarded up nuisance houses used for criminal activity, used as gang hang-outs, drugs, profit tuition. they were havens for criminal behaviour. we needed to get rid of them. >> after two parishioners were murdered, he persuaded local state and several officials to replace 40 homes into ovals and parks. >> violent crime has been cut in half. >> it's part of a renewal project going on throughout ohio. >> it has a huge sign army that's hit town. it's taken 30 years for the water to recede. you look around, there's empty housing left over.

>> many houses have been torn down and persuading banks to hand them over to a local land bank. >> we would offer the house, through the website and other means to someone who intends to renovate it. >> every house torn down is one less neighbourhood eyesore or potential crack house. this is slated for demolition in a few days. >> other cities turned to projects for revival. like this convention centre. now many are going small. gary is selling derelict homes. and this housing stock is being shrunk. >> putting too lofty a goal up there, if you don't get there, people say everything was for nought. if we do smaller things, get the momentum going. by going small they give themselves room to grow.

next rob ford's new job. he's still the mayor of toronto, but is moonlighting in america. scary at an n.b.a. game as an arena fills with smoke. buck conversation mark spears

toronto's controversial mayor could have a gig in america. he could join us u.s. sports radio show named sports junkies, he'll call in to washington w j.f.k. form for what may become a regular gig. he started the career while the toronto city council was stripping him of his powers. his canadian tv show "ford

nation" lasted one episode. basketball is on the docket for upsets and scary moments. mark is here with sports. of course rob ford has a sports radio show, didn't we see it coming. we'll take it. hot the hoops, oncamp u michigan was expected to roll over. this game, though, interesting. tar hills taking control. number one, michigan state would not go quietly. adrian payne nailed it. the spartans on an 18-6 run. tar hills on the road took over. jp took on dakota, giving north

carolina a 6-point lean. james michael macadou - the he'lls all over the number one team. 71-69 the final. spartans striking 36% of the field. >> ohio state hosting maryland. watch shane, the alley-oop. 30-0. take another look. very nicely done, and the next trip up - this is not a replay. shannon scott ali oop to sam tomorrowon, and the buck eyes rolling. aaron craft to thompson. buckeyes led by 17, 7 and 0. 76 to 60. >> moving to the n.b.a., the san antonio spurs and minnesota timberwolvek were scheduled to play in mexico city. the game was postponed. both teams were warming up on

the court. the lights started to go out in different parts of the arena. the arena was evacuated because of the thick smoke. players, coaches and the media left the arena. fans had not been allowed inside. according to the n.b.a. a generator functioned outside, causing the smoke. the game will be rescheduled. this is the first time the n.b.a. held a gave in mexico city sips the rockets and maverics in 1977. >> two words for all of you - kyle core ver, dial it up. he was on fire. 6 of 9 beyond the arc tying the 18-year-old record hitting a three pointer - 89 straight games. season high 23 points. the hawks trim the clips.

107 to 97. drama surrounding the brooklyn nets and then some. despite an offseason makeover the nets 5 and 13. assistant coach frank lawrence frank has been denoted after clashing with kidd. kidd addressed the team's futility at practice. >> i don't know about them. for us we are surprised where we are at. if we look at how we are plays, this is where we should be. >> i think guys are fighting. we have to look at getting two more stops to put us in a better position. puts us in a better position. the things that we can build on in the first quarter of last night's game has given the ball inside and plays inside out. we may have taken up the rear, but we didn't make anything in

the first quarter. those are the positive things that we have to build on. we are working, you know, we play and have enough talent to win. >> now, you saw jason terry there. he was one of the off-season acquisitions i spoke about. i spoke with mark spears about the struggles of the nets and knicks. >> it's a continued soap opera mess out there on both ends. starting with the nets. i mean, i knew something was wrong when the season began and jason kidd had to sit two games out due to a dui and franks, the former head coach did not do it. they picked the assistant. that was confusing. i heard things. it got worse. the relationship was bad, and you know probably as franks said, "i could coach the guys better than jason", he was probably hanging out with the players a couple of months ago.

it ended up being a bad mix. you have soda-gate and now this. i don't know what is going on with the nets. it may get to the point where he may walk away. he's obvious his head. you have to lean on your assistants, that's what lawrence frank is for. i'd keep an eye on him and pressure on him. >> we haven't given enough talk about taylor being out. they shouldn't lose to everyone. they were called a laughing stock. thursday night, as i called it last week, the toilet bowl, nets and the knicks, no one is buying tickets. it was a grand game on the n.b.a. scale. dolan, the owner of the hicks hates the owner of the knicks. if they lose, mike woodson could be losing his job.

>> the game tomorrow, despite both teams having eight wins between them. if the knicks lose there could be ramifications. >> 45,000 coloured led lights on the rockefeller christmas tree. (countdown). . a star covered with 25,000 crystals dazzled from the top. the 76 foot norway spruce pine was donated. tony braxton, marria cary and others took part in the tree-lighting ceremony. the tree will stay lit until january 7th of next year. >> kevin corriveau is up next with weather. master piece and what the city's

bankruptcy could mean for that collection. are

now to detroit where bankruptcy problems could mean selling off the city's $800 million art collection to

settle the city's $18 billion debt. masterpieces by mana, van goh and others are in jeopardy. >> $450 to $870 million is what christy's auction estimates is the value at the destroyed institute of arts. the appraisal gave kevin orr and creditors a snapshop of what it's worth and if it's worth selling to pay off $18 billion in debt. the disclosure coming a day after a judge ruled the city is able to declare bankruptcy. >> i said when i was in this room on march 25th that everything was on the table. that remains true. even now these seven months

later. >> with donated and endowed off limits off limit, the report reflects the value of about 5% of the museum's collection. it amounts to nearly 3,000 pieces of work. among them paintings and sculptures by artists such as bruegel and van goh. >> some creditors would be disappointed that the valued assets would be low. >> university of detroit law professor larry dubin says creditors could go after the art for compensation. >> creditors will fight as hard as they can. >> during detroit's bankruptcy elegibility hearing, steven rhodes didn't say whether they'd allow the sale of artwork, cautioning the city to take care when deciding to sell assets. meanwhile, the detroit

institution of arts is readying itself for a fight. the dia released this statement reading: we are facing an arctic outbreak in the states, it's nothing like alberta, canada, where this morning it was minus 26. these kids went to school. the heaters in the bust didn't do much. here in the states this is what it looks like now.

you can see where the arc air is. denver at minus 7. some places are colder than that. you can see how far the cold air extends. this is a big problem out here. mostly clearer skies now that the clouds and snow showers have moved away. the big problem is ice. preezing rain across much of texas, the northern part of texas. it will begin tomorrow morning. we are beginning to pick up indications of the rain coming in now. it will be the panhandle starting at 7:30, 8 o'clock in the morning. then it is going to start to move towards the east. you can see the temperatures are setting up. 36 degrees in oklahoma city at 31. we are seeing freezing temperatures. this is where we expect the majority of the freezing rain to be, anywhere from north-east texas through oklahoma, arkansas river. we are talking about a quarter to half an inch. half an inch of freezing ice

taking down branches, power outages. if you travel on the highway, it will be slippery on thursday, that's going to carry into friday. i'd stay off the roads. >> it the forecast for thursday. you can see the ice to the north of that. it will be snow to the south. rain. friday it starts to move out slightly, but look at the forecast for dallas. we are looking at nasty weather. below freezing temperatures on friday and saturday. not warming up until we get to the weekend. if i bummed you out with the bad weather, let's take you to florida, if you want to go away. miami is the place to be. we are looking at beautiful conditions, average conditions, one of the only places in the country, temperatures into the low '80s. that is the same thing for orlando. john has the headlines coming up now.

welcome to al jazeera america, i'm john siegenthaler in new york. here are the top stories:. >> meanwhile the family in the top 1% has a net worth 288 times higher than the typical family, which is a record for this country. >> the president cites staps showing the economy's income gap is getting wider. recordings from the 911 sandy hook elementary school were released. dispatchers urged callers to take cover as gunshots could be heard. al jazeera america will not play the audio of the 911 calls. >> police in mexico recovered a dangerous